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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23750191">Operation: Matchmaker</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/csi_sanders1129/pseuds/csi_sanders1129'>csi_sanders1129</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>My Two Dads</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Anachronistic, Awkward Dates, Dinner, Family, Idiots in Love, M/M, Matchmaking, Mutual Pining, Period Atypical Attitudes, Picnic, Scheming, Sneaky Teeangers, bowling, lying, movies - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:08:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,965</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23750191</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/csi_sanders1129/pseuds/csi_sanders1129</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Nicole enacts a devious plan in order to get Michael and Joey to realize they love each other.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Joey Harris/Michael Taylor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Week 9: Matchmaking</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Operation: Matchmaker</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Set a few years in the future, so ~1992, Nicole is ~16. Goes AU from actual My Two Dads canon. Also steadfastly ignores any and all period typical LGBT attitudes because that was a layer I didn’t want to deal with in this goofy matchmaker fic – so pretend it’s set today, but in a world of VHS tapes an no cell phones. Comments and kudos are awesome. Thank you for reading!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nicole has to get out of here.</p><p>It is almost 7 o'clock on a Friday night and all her friends are waiting for her at the movies. They're going to see <em>Mystery Date, </em>a new teen comedy. She's only just finished getting ready - it took forever to do her hair and make-up, she couldn't find the shirt that went with the skirt she wanted to wear and thus had to change the whole outfit, and now she's going to be late.</p><p>"And just where do you think you're going?" Michael asks, when she hurries out of her room and down the steps, "I thought we were having a nice night in, the three of us."</p><p>"Daaaaad," she whines, "I'm sixteen. I want to go out with my friends."</p><p>"Nicoooooole," he whines back, "You're sixteen, you don't need to go out <em>every </em>Friday night. You could spend one here or there with your father and I. Joey even went to get pizzas from that place you like so much."</p><p>Those pizzas are delicious, she thinks, and the fact that Joey went out of his way to get them gives her pause, but she can't let herself be swayed. She is sixteen and rebellion is a fundamental right of being a teenager. Not to mention, she and Nina and Rebecca have been planning this all week. They'll go see the movie and afterward they'll find the cute boy from science class that works at the theater – Nina even made sure he had a shift tonight.</p><p>"Dad, please," she tries again, "I'm not hungry. And I don't think the movie will be playing much longer and I already promised the girls I'd meet them. Can't we do family night another time?"</p><p>He heaves a resigned sigh, "Fine, fine, I guess Joey and I can run down to the rental place and grab a movie you wouldn't want to watch," he decides, and that sounds like a great plan to her. "Have fun, be careful, be back by curfew."</p><p>And with that, she's free.</p><p>She races out the door before he can change his mind, down the steps, down the street to the subway and takes the line that'll get her near the theater. Another block to walk when she gets out of the subway and she's there, quickly exchanging money for a ticket to the show and rushing into the right theater. She spots Nina and Rebecca about halfway up the rows of seats and rushes to claim the one they saved for her in the crowded room.</p><p>"What took you so long?" Rebecca whisper-asks, offering her some popcorn. "The movie's about to start!"</p><p>"Sorry, my dads tried to wrangle me into family movie night again," she says, just as the house lights dim.</p><p>"Again?" Nina asks, exasperated. "How'd you talk them out of that?"</p><p>"I just told them to have their movie night without me," she answers. The trailers are starting to roll.</p><p>"Good, let them have date night and we can have girls' night."</p><p>Despite the fact that she'd been interested in seeing this movie – and that Ethan Hawke is being quirkily adorable on screen – she finds she cannot concentrate on it at all. An idea begins to form in her mind. Ever since she came to live with Michael and Joey, there's been an edge of anxiety around either of them dating, she'd always worried that if things got too serious, one or the other of them would move out. As much as family nights could impede upon her plans with her friends, she most definitely doesn't want her family broken up. But, if Michael and Joey were to date each other… If they were distracted with date nights every once in a while, instead of family night, that would give her more opportunity to hang out with her friends.</p><p>And it's not like it would be a completely out there idea. She's seen the way they look at each other when they think the other won't catch them. She's seen the way they are with each other, always in each other's personal space and aware of what the other is doing to an extent that she's never seen in her friends' parents. She remembers her mother telling her about the two boys she'd fallen in love with that summer at the beach – she'd been sick and making the preparation necessary to send Nicole to Michael and Joey when the time came – about how close they were until she got between them, 'I didn't think I had a chance with either of them,' she'd told Nicole, and now she wonders if her mother didn't know, too. She remembers the fights, early on, as Michael and Joey repaired their broken relationship and the three of them settled into the weird little family thing that they were all willing to work for and to fight for. She knows she loves them, that they love her, but she's not sure that her fathers are aware of how much they love each other.</p><p>The movie ends without Nicole noticing. Nina has to snap her back to reality with a laugh and a hand on her shoulder, "Come on, you goof," she teases, as the three of them vacate the theater. "We have a cute boy to locate."</p><p>Unfortunately, after a thorough search of the theater's lobby, the boy from science class is nowhere to be found, so they settle for grabbing milkshakes from the little shop next door to the theater, all settling into a booth with their desserts.</p><p>Nicole listens to Nina and Rebecca discuss the movie for a little while (turns out she didn't miss much, it doesn't sound nearly as interesting as the previews for it had made it look), and when there's a lull in their back and forth, she cuts in. She still can't get that 'date night' comment off her mind. "I think I might need your help with something," she says.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"We should get my dads together," she proposes, with a devious smile. "Think about it – they'll be occupied with each other and not with our Friday nights."</p><p>Nina and Rebecca exchange glances. "They're… <em>not</em> together?"</p><p>"No?" Nicole answers, wonders why they'd think that.</p><p>"I thought they were together the whole time they've had you," Nina admits, and Rebecca echoes the sentiment. "Like, I know they've gone on dates with women over the years, but I always thought they were just… trying to keep up appearances or something?"</p><p>"No," Nicole says again.</p><p>"But they act more like a couple than my parents do!" Rebecca adds in, incredulous, "I can't remember the last time my parents looked at each other the way they do. Are they blind?"</p><p>Nicole shrugs, "I mean, I think they want to be together, but they aren't. I think maybe they just need a push to figure it out." She looks at her two best friends, raises her milkshake glass, "Are you in?"</p><p>"Forget our Friday nights," Nina decides, "I'm in on this plan solely to right this terrible wrong."</p><p>"Same," Rebecca agrees, and the three of them clink their glasses together.</p><p>They'll have to make a plan.</p><p>But not tonight. It's close to curfew and the plan will not be helped if she gets herself grounded. They finish their milkshakes and split at the subway. Nicole makes her way back home, plotting as she goes.</p><p>When she creeps in the front door just a little bit later than her curfew necessarily allows, it's to find, much to her relief, that Michael and Joey are both sound asleep on the couch. Michael's got his head slumped over on Joey's shoulder, Joey's got an arm tossed over the back of the couch, settled around Michael's shoulder. There's a mostly empty pizza box on the table in front of them, and the TV plays static now that the VHS tape has hit an end.</p><p>As quietly as she can manage, she grabs a slice as she slips by them. The metal stairs creak, but not if she walks as close to the rail as possible, she knows. When she finally reaches the landing at the top, having not made a single sound, she slowly drags the door open with a quick glance to make sure they're still asleep, and then she shuts it behind her with a gentle click.</p><p>She takes a congratulatory bite of cold pizza – still excellent – and flops across her bed.</p><p>Maybe her plan will be easier to execute than she thought.</p><p>Operation: Matchmaker is a go.</p><hr/><p>The next weekend comes and she has a plan. She and Nina and Rebecca cobbled it together over lunch and between classes over the course of the week. Nicole would arrange something for the three of them to do and then she would find a reason not to do it, leaving Michael and Joey to enjoy whatever it was on their own. A date, even if they didn't know that's what it was meant to be.</p><p>It's Saturday and she's packing up a picnic lunch for the three of them (really, the two of them) to enjoy in Central Park. She's got sandwiches, chips, vegetables and dip, and brownies for dessert, a thermos full of juice. She makes sure it's all perfectly packed away with any and all necessary picnic supplies. "It's so nice out," she tells them, when they wonder what she's doing, "I thought we could go for a walk."</p><p>Michael smiles, "That's a great idea."</p><p>"I'll go find a blanket," Joey adds.</p><p>It's finally starting to feel like fall, and the walk around the park is admittedly very nice. But, after they've been walking for a while, she starts the act. She slows her pace, just a little. When they pick a spot to have the picnic, she hides a wince when she helps to spread out the blanket. She doesn't take any of the food.</p><p>"Aren't you hungry?" Joey asks, the first to notice her apparent discomfort. He pauses in the process of pouring cups of juice for them all. "Nic, what's wrong?"</p><p>She waves away the concerned looks they're both giving her now. "Oh, just cramps, I think. Don't worry." Time to see how this plays out, she thinks, knowing full well that they get weird about that sort of thing: the vaguely terrified looks she gets form them if she asks them to buy her pads or tampons when they go to the store, the way the secret stash of chocolate in the loft always remains fully stocked without comment, the way neither of them dares to question her motives if she suddenly has a craving for Klawicki's greasy food.</p><p>As expected, they both freeze up. "Oh," Michael manages, "Do you want to go home? We can pack this up and go back-"</p><p>"No, no," she says, "It's fine. I'm fine." They do not look convinced. "Really," she adds on, and just for added effect, she claims a brownie from the picnic basket. "See?"</p><p>Joey eyes her curiously and Nicole suspects that maybe he suspects something. "If you're sure."</p><p>She bears it out for a few more minutes, while Michael and Joey trade looks that appear to contain within them entire conversations. When they finally do start to eat, she speaks up again. "Actually," she subtly curls an arm around her stomach, "I think I might just go home." When they promptly move to start packing up, she stops them. "You two stay," she says, "Enjoy your lunch. I'll be back at the loft raiding the chocolate stash and watching the VHS Rebecca lent me of <em>Sixteen Candles</em>. Take your time."</p><p>They both look like they want to argue, but she's reasonably sure the prospect of watching her watch her favorite movie for the umpteenth time stops them from doing so. "The heating pad's in the closet by the bathroom," Michael reminds her. "Go take it easy, we won't be too long."</p><p>Nicole swiftly takes her leave, walking along the path until she's sure she's out of sight. She doubles back, off the path this time, until she's close enough to overhear their conversation. Luckily, the place they'd picked for their picnic is along the edge of a line of trees, which makes for an excellent hiding spot. She settles in, peeking through a break in the leaves and straining to hear.</p><p>"…Do you find that as suspicious as I found that?" Joey asks, still looking off in the direction she'd gone.</p><p>Michael shrugs, returns his attention to his food, "I am choosing to overlook the fact that we definitely just got ditched. She was nice enough to make us lunch before she did it and as long as she's there when we get back, I'll pick a different battle."</p><p>She listens to them trade stories back and forth – Joey about the new commission he's taken on for a life-size, abstract statue of someone's Great Dane, Michael about the chaos in the meeting he'd had at work yesterday, where a pigeon flew in the open window and pooped all over his boss – until they're done eating.</p><p>"We should do this again," Michael suggests, leaning back to look up at the clouds overhead. "It's nice."</p><p>Nicole watches Joey's gaze land on Michael who absolutely doesn't notice, "Yeah," he says, very much not looking at the clouds or the sky or the trees, "It is."</p><p>Sappy idiots, she thinks, as she backtracks away from them, satisfied that the date has gone well. She needs to get back to the loft before they do, after all. She'll be curled up on the couch and halfway through the movie by the time they return.</p><hr/><p>It's easier than she thought it would be to convince Michael and Joey to go bowling with her the next Friday night. She'd expected them to be on board because it meant she'd be out with them and not out with her friends like nearly every other Friday night. Rebecca was sick and Nina had a date, she claimed, to keep them from wondering why she was suddenly so interested in the family nights she'd been steadfastly avoiding since summer break ended. She had, however, not factored in their competitive streak.</p><p>"It's just bowling," she laments, when the two of them start bringing up old rivalries on the walk to the bowling alley – she is fully prepared to nix this whole idea if anyone brings up racquetball. "Friendly bowling."</p><p>They make it through one game without issue. Michael wins it with an improbable strike in the last frame and Joey is eager for a rematch.</p><p>But, Nicole has a plan and the end of the game marks the signal.</p><p>"Nina!" Nicole cries out. As arranged, she spots her friend sitting on one of the benches by the bowling alley's little arcade. She looks like she's crying, her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking. Michael and Joey spot her, too, when Nicole calls her name. Slowly, Nina shuffles over to them, wiping the tears from her eyes. "What are you doing here?"</p><p>"Oh, Nicole!" Nina sobs, hugging her tightly, and Nicole has to admit she is impressed by the fake-tears – that role in the school play last year clearly helped her acting abilities. "I can't believe it – Mario stood me up for our date!"</p><p>Sensing that this is teenage girl drama that they do not need to be a part of, Michael and Joey move away, leaving them to talk in private. Perfect.</p><p>"That jerk doesn't deserve you," she tells Nina, ("Mario Lopez, <em>really</em>, Nina?" she whispers, incredulous, when she's sure her fathers can't hear). They exchange a few more quiet words before she approaches Michael and Joey.</p><p>"Everything okay, Nic?"</p><p>She tries to look sheepish, "No, not exactly. Would you mind if I took Nina home? She's really upset about this – she's had a crush on this guy for years." She hears Nina stifle a giggle with another sob. "I don't think she should be alone tonight."</p><p>Joey nods, "Go on," he tells her. "Stay the night, if she needs you to."</p><p>"Yeah, I'll beat Joey at a couple more games and then we'll head home," Michael agrees, a devious grin aimed at Joey, who easily rises to the bait.</p><p>She smiles her thanks and goes back to Nina, but they won't be going far. They slip into the crowd of other Friday night bowlers, heading in the direction of the door, but then they turn off toward the arcade. From there, they can see out to the lanes without being immediately obvious. They won't be close enough to hear, but they'll be able to see, at least.</p><p>"I'm so sorry about Mario," Nicole teases as they watch her fathers start a new game. "However will you get over it?"</p><p>Nina laughs, "I'll just have to settle for Mark-Paul Gosselaar, I suppose."</p><p>Nicole rolls her eyes and keeps her attention on Michael and Joey. They play through another game – which Michael also wins. As the loser, Michael sends Joey off to go buy a couple of beers and some pizza, and then the two of them settle at one of the little tables by their lane. She can tell by how they're talking that Michael's gloating about his win and Joey's sulking, no doubt demanding another round (or three).</p><p>"Do you think they're any closer to figuring things out?" Nina wonders, as they watch Michael's continued teasing rile Joey up even more.</p><p>"I don't know. I feel like Joey's more likely to be the one to make a move, he's impulsive enough for both of them. Michael's too analytical to risk it unless he knows for sure it'll work. But if they've been hiding this from each other for as long as I think they have – since <em>they</em> were in high school – then who knows what it'll take?"</p><p>They watch as the bickering ends and another game begins, but as she and Nina watch them progress through a few frames, Nicole would swear that it looks like Michael is trying to let Joey win this time. Anytime Michael's about to take the lead, his next throw is wildly off course, barely hitting the end pins if it doesn't end up in the gutter. Somewhere in the middle of the game, Michael gets two strikes in a row and he doesn't look thrilled with the fact that he just pulled ahead for the first time this game. Michael still gloats, Nicole is sure, but he's not as into it as he'd been after his earlier victories. The next ball hits the gutter.</p><p>"He's totally losing on purpose," she says, with a grin on her face.</p><p>"I thought you said they were super competitive? I remember you telling me about that nightmare racquetball game – and then there was the skee ball incident when you guys went to the boardwalk last year, and the time they got a dartboard for the loft…"</p><p>Nicole waves away these completely valid points. "They are super competitive, but Michael's letting Joey win <em>anyway</em>." Maybe this plan is working.</p><p>"If you say so," Nina agrees, clearly still skeptical. But she doesn't know them like Nicole does. Then, Nina pulls her down. "I think they just looked over here," she says, her voice a frantic hushed whisper.</p><p>Nicole dares to peek her head up enough to catch a glimpse of them through the windows that separate the arcade form the lanes. Joey is glancing this way and she ducks back down before he can get a good look. "Time to go," she decides, pulling Nina away with her. They'll head back to Nina's place and enjoy the rest of their Friday night.</p><hr/><p>Two weeks later, she gets her report card for the quarter – all A's (except for Math, because it's not like there's a shortage of numbers available, why do they need to add in <em>imaginary</em> ones, too?), and as a reward for her nearly perfect grades, they plan a dinner out to celebrate. There's this new Italian place a few blocks away, a little fancier than they'd normally go for, but Nicole talks them into it with the mention of the little bakery attached to it that offers allegedly superb desserts.</p><p>So, she calls at the beginning of the week to make a reservation – because it is the sort of place that requires a reservation – and the plan is a go.</p><p>When Friday night comes, and the three of them are just about ready to head out the door, the phone rings, just as she arranged. "I'll get it," she says, a move they don't question because most calls are for her anyway. She grabs up the receiver, says a quick, "hello," and then listens for a few seconds while Rebecca rambles at her about her plans for the evening, how her parents are going to some fancy dinner party for her mom's work. A panicked look crosses Nicole's face before she exclaims, "That's tomorrow!?" Rebecca doesn't comment on the out of place response, just goes on about how she's going to sneak her boyfriend in once they leave. "No, I haven't done it yet! I thought it was due <em>next week!</em>" Another pause, this time Rebecca laughs and tells her to let her know how it goes, before she hangs up. "Thanks, I guess," Nicole answers, and hangs up her end of the call.</p><p>"I can't go to dinner," she tells them, a devastated look on her face. "There's this paper I have to do for history. It's lucky for me that Rebecca called to complain about it or I totally would have missed it. Go without me?"</p><p>She watches them trade glances in that way they do, "We can just go pick something up somewhere, Nic, we don't have to go out. This dinner was for you."</p><p>"No, I already made the reservation," she presses, "Please. Go. Bring me back some cannoli's or something."</p><p>A few more minutes of arguing over it and they relent. They leave her flipping through her history textbook, searching out the sections on the Industrial Revolution for a paper she'd written a week and a half ago. She waits until she's sure they're well ahead of her before she leaves her books and follows after them.</p><p>This place is a little more difficult to stake out than the other locations had been. She can't go into the restaurant – the place is too small, too cozy, for that and they'd definitely spot her even if the restaurant staff didn't boot her out for not having a reservation. She can't just lurk outside the restaurant, either – it isn't the kind of establishment that encouraged anyone, especially teenagers, to loiter around, after all. But luckily, she and Nina and Rebecca had done their research - and it had been very tasty research. They'd stopped in at the bakery after school one day last week and sampled some of the absolutely delicious treats. On this secret mission, they'd discovered that the bakery had a window into the restaurant's dining room. There were little tables and some scattered chairs in the bakery and several allowed for a decent view into the room. It was perfect.</p><p>So, Nicole doesn't go into the restaurant. Instead, she goes to the little bakery. She claims an open seat by the window, orders a tea and a couple of biscotti's and settles in with a book she absolutely will not be reading.</p><p>She spots Michael and Joey seated at a table at the edge of the room. It's not the best view, but at least it means they're less likely to see her spying on them. They're surrounded mostly by other couples, as the bigger tables for larger parties are on the other side of the room, and the candle on the table between them flickers gently in the dim lighting.</p><p>She sips her tea and watches them over the top of her book.</p><p>They order wine and when it arrives they clink their glasses together in a toast she can't hear. The two of them are deep in an animated conversation when breadsticks and salads arrive at the table, laughing at each other amid what is probably a fair amount of light-hearted teasing. They both reach for the breadsticks at the same time, and when their hands brush they both seem to freeze, just for a second, but she sees it all the same before they snap back to reality and pull away. They recover smoothly, but whatever conversation they're having seems stilted from then on, at least up until their entrees arrive and Joey snags a bite of Michael's food off his plate. She's sure there are token protests, but Michael ends up executing a sneakier attack in retaliation. There is a quick and silent fork duel before they seem to call a truce and opt instead to share both plates.</p><p>Nicole laughs quietly to herself – they're such dorks.</p><p>Michael and Joey continue their meal, but she gets up for a moment, just to return her dishes to the bakery counter. When she reclaims her seat and her book, however, she finds that Joey is no longer at the table. She doesn't know why he got up or where he went – maybe just to the restroom, maybe out to get some air, or maybe to scope out the dessert selection.</p><p>The shadow that falls over her suggests it was that last option. She turns to find Joey looming over her, arms crossed over his chest and it's suddenly looking very much like she's in trouble. "Dad," she greets, pretending that nothing is wrong on the off chance nothing will be.</p><p>"I think we need to talk," he says, and claims the seat opposite her. "Spill it. I know you never planned on coming to dinner with us. And clearly there's no paper you need to write. When I checked us in with the maître d' they said the reservation was only made for two. I thought maybe you called to change it after we left, but no. You're up to something."</p><p>"Am not," she counters.</p><p>"Are, too," he answers, very maturely, "You got a boyfriend you're here to meet or something?"</p><p>"No."</p><p>"Meeting up with Nina and Rebecca to go to some party, then?"</p><p>She rolls her eyes, "No, Dad. Why would I come here, the one place in all of New York I know you are, to sneak off anywhere?"</p><p>"I really don't know," he says, "What are you doing here, then? You know you can tell me - us - anything."</p><p>"It's nothing!"</p><p>"Nic. I know <em>something</em> is going on."</p><p>"Really, I'm not doing anything you wouldn't approve of."</p><p>Oh, she thinks, that was phrased oddly – it's going to raise questions. And it does. He narrows his eyes at her, "…What are you doing that you think I <em>would </em>approve of, then?"</p><p>She sighs, a heavy, exasperated sigh, and relents. "Fine," she says, talking in hushed whispers so as not to alert the whole of the bakery of her plan, "If you really want to know - I'm trying to get my two idiot fathers to realize that they're in love with each other and stop dancing around the idea. It's been four years. I was hoping that leaving the two of you on your own for sort of dates would get one or the other of you to figure it out sometime before the end of the millennium."</p><p>He blinks, slowly, and she watches him try and fail several times to respond. Finally, with a shake of his head, he snaps himself out of whatever stunned state she left him in. "Me and Michael?"</p><p>"No, you and my secret third dad," she snaps, because <em>obviously</em>, "Yes, you and Michael. I'm sixteen, I'm not blind."</p><p>He drags his hands over his face and surprisingly doesn't comment on her snarkiness. "…that obvious?"</p><p>"<em>Yes</em>," she answers, thinking back to the first morning she was with them – she'd woken up to find the two of them had set their fighting aside to pass out together on Joey's bed, tangled together amongst the sheets and the empty champagne bottles – and she thinks of just last month when all of this started – when she'd come back from the movies and found them cuddling together on the couch, sound asleep in each other's arms. "Yes. I think even mom kind of suspected, looking back on things she told me about you two before…" She trails off, but that's okay because Joey knows what she means, and he wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulls her in close. She hugs him back and asks, "You've never told him?"</p><p>Joey sighs, "I was going to – I was going to tell him on the trip to the beach we took after senior year," he says, quietly, "It was the first time we were away from home – alone – and I was going to tell him, but then we met your mom and things…were different. And then we hated each other for almost thirteen years. And now… I can't mess things up now, not when you could get caught in the crossfire this time."</p><p>That's a lot to take in but she focuses on the part she can change. "I'm already in the crossfire, Dad – I'm watching you two pine after each other all the time, watching you both try to date other people you don't really want to be with," she explains, "You don't think Michael loves you, too? That he doesn't look at you the same way you look at him?"</p><p>Joey's quiet for a long moment, and she's surprised when she doesn't get told off for her interloping, but rather asked, quietly, hesitantly, "What if he doesn't?"</p><p>She doesn't know how he can't see it. She glances over his shoulder, through the window and into the dining room, where Michael is staring forlornly at the vacant spot Joey left, looking like he doesn't think Joey's coming back to him. "You should go back," she tells him, in lieu of an answer to his question, because it's an answer she doesn't have. He follows her gaze to Michael, and he's already standing when she adds, "Sometimes not doing anything can mess things up, too."</p><p>"We'll talk about this more later. Go home," he tells her as he walks away. For some reason, she doesn't think she's in nearly as much trouble as she probably should be.</p><p>But, she doesn't go home. Not yet. She watches Joey reappear at Michael's side just a few seconds later, watches him reclaim his empty seat. Joey reaches out, without hesitation, and lets his hand settle over Michael's where it rests on the table. She watches Michael flip his hand over, entwining his fingers with Joey's. She doesn't know what they're saying, if they're finally saying the things they need to say, but she knows enough now.</p><p>She leaves.</p><hr/><p>Nicole takes the walk home from school the next day slowly. Somehow, she'd avoided getting grounded last night, but only because she'd already been in bed when Michael and Joey had finally come home – they must have had a lot to talk about. On top of that narrow miss, she'd even managed to dodge them this morning – she'd waited until the last possible moment to leave for school so they wouldn't be able to hold her up, but it turned out her planning wasn't necessary. Michael's bedroom door had been closed, suggesting he was either still asleep or already gone off to work. Joey's bed had already been made and he was nowhere to be found. She wasn't quite sure where he'd gone, maybe to grab breakfast or something, but she'd taken the win and taken her leave.</p><p>However, while she is fully aware that she will be punished for her actions lately, even if those actions were for their benefit, she'd like to avoid it for as long as possible. All in all, though, it's not the worst weekend to get grounded. Nina's going out of town visiting a cousin that lives in DC and Rebecca's grounded, too, since her parents caught her with her boyfriend last night. Maybe she can even appease Michael and Joey a bit by suggesting an actual movie night with them tonight. As much as she's been ditching them for Operation: Matchmaker, it might help her case if she's actually around for once.</p><p>There's no sign of either of them when she gets home, either. She's not surprised Michael isn't there – she's usually home from school before he's home from work, but just like this morning, she doesn't know where Joey is. Still, it means she's not grounded yet, so she sneaks up to her room and settles in with a magazine until they show up to lecture her about her surprise attempts at matchmaking. They'll ground her, sure, but then she'll talk them into family night and things will be fine – maybe better if Michael and Joey's conversation went well last night.</p><p>It occurs to her then that maybe something went wrong. Maybe <em>she</em> was wrong. Maybe Joey told Michael how he felt and Michael didn't feel the same. Maybe that's why Joey isn't here. But, no, she couldn't have been wrong – it was so obvious. Still, that edge of panic is there now, and it's impossible to escape it.</p><p>She goes downstairs, not caring if they're there to ground her so long as they're there, both there.</p><p>"Hey, Nic," Joey greets her with a smile as he leaves Michael's bedroom. "Good, you are home. We were starting to wonder. You okay on your own tonight?"</p><p>What?</p><p>"Michael and I thought we might go to the movies," he says, and his smile gets wider, "Together."</p><p>The meaning is not lost on her and she collapses into one of the chairs at the table in relief. "Yes! It worked! You told him and it worked!"</p><p>Michael appears from his room, then, too. He's occupied with fixing his shirt, but obviously heard enough to ask, "What worked?"</p><p>Joey gives her a pointed look, and gestures for her to explain herself. "I… might have been leaving the two of your alone hoping you'd realize how you felt about each other and get together," she tells Michael. "There might have been some lying involved."</p><p>"The picnic in the park?" Michael guesses, and she nods.</p><p>"And the bowling alley," Joey adds, confirming that he had seen her and Nina there well after they should have been gone. Another nod.</p><p>"And last night," she concludes. "I'm sorry."</p><p>"Definitely not happy about all the lying and scheming," Michael says, which is fair, "I'm somewhat appeased by the fact that we noticed most of it." He crosses over to stand at Joey's side, "And I can't exactly complain about the outcome." Michael frowns, looks to Joey, "…Do we ground her for this plan of hers, you think?"</p><p>"I think she just doesn't get to go to the movies," Joey answers.</p><p>That is a way better outcome than she expected.</p><p>"But," he adds, and Nicole sighs – there's always a catch. "Next Friday night – family night. The three of us, no ditching. Deal?"</p><p>"Deal," Nicole easily agrees. She hugs both of them, "I'm glad you finally figured things out," she says, "Now, go! Enjoy your movie." She waves them toward the door and they both look so much happier now, like a weight's been lifted off their shoulders. "Have fun! Be careful! Be back before curfew!" She calls out just as the door closes behind them.</p><p>Once they're gone, she goes back to her room, changes into her comfiest pajamas and settles on the couch with some well-deserved snacks and a movie of her own.</p><p>Operation: Matchmaker is officially a success.</p>
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